Brassiere



United States Patent BRASSIERE Pearl J. Steinmetz, Evanston, 111., assignor to The H. W. Gossard Co., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 31, 1957, Serial No. 662,652 2 Claims. (Cl. 128483)' This invention relates to uplift brassieres which are adapted to mold and support the busts of the wearer, and it has for its object to provide a novel and improved garment of this type.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved light-weight brassiere of the type specified which conforms snugly to figure of the wearer and affords perfect comfort and freedom of movement in all positions of the body.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

The invention will be described in detail in connection with a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a brassiere embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view, partly broken away, showing the inside of the brassiere as spread out in a plane;

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

The brassiere shown in the drawing comprises a pair of shaped bust pockets 1 and 2, composed of soft inelastic fabric, which are connected together at their reduced inner edges by the narrow median bridge or band 3.

The lower edge of the brassiere is formed in part by a band 4 of elastic fabric which extends in the form of an arc from the outer end of one bust pocket to the outer end of the other bust pocket and is secured to the curved outer bottom portions of said bust pockets by lines of stitching 5. The unattached central portion of the curved or bowed elastic band 4, which in the embodiment illustrated herein constitutes slightly more than one-third of the total length of said band, extends freely beneath the inner portions of the bust pockets and their connecting median bridge 3.

The lower edge of the brassiere is completed by two identical bands 6 and 7 of elastic fabric which are secured to the inner bottom portions of the bust pockets 1 and 2, respectively, by lines of stitching 8. These elastic bands 6 and 7 extend from the narrow median band 3 between the bust pockets outwardly to the respective ends of the brassiere. They thus overlap the bowed elastic band 4 and are secured to the lower edge of said band 4 where they intersect by lines of stitches 9.

Narrow under-arm flaps or end sections of the brassiere are formed by tapered soft inelastic fabric strips 10 and 12, the former of which is stitched to the elastic bands 4 and 6, and the latter of which is stitched to the elastic bands 4 and 7, as best shown in Fig. 2. The terminal ends of the brassiere are formed by the outer ends of the elastic bands 6 and 7 and by short elastic bands 13 which are stitched to the ends of the respective flaps or strips 10 and 12 and converge to meet the ends of the respective elastic bands 6 and 7, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ends of the brassiere may be secured together by hook-and-eye or other suitable adjustable fastening means r 2,882,906 PatentedAP 21,1959- The shoulder straps 15, which may be of inelastic tape, have their rear ends stitched to outer ends of the respective flaps 10 and 12 at their juncture with the elastic straps 6-13 and 7-13, and have their forward ends secured through the intermediary of adjusting clasps 16 to the central apices of the respective bust pockets.

Fig. 1 shows the brassiere in the position it assumes on the figure of the wearer. In such position the curved or arched elastic band 4 yieldingly anchors the lower edges of the bust pockets in the proper position on the body. In conjunction therewith, the elastic bands 6 and 7 yieldingly tension the median band 3 between the bust pockets 1 and 2, and the inner bottom portions of the bust pockets themselves, and fit the garment snugly upon the body in the uplift position afforded by the shoulder straps. As the body stretches and relaxes, as in bending, raising and lowering the arms, etc., the elastic portions herein described and illustrated provide the elongation and contraction required to maintain the brassiere in the proper position without strain, and with perfect comfort and freedom of movement to the wearer.

All of the elastic bands herein described and illustrated are primarily stretchable in a longitudinal direction, but they are also extensible to a more limited extent in a transverse direction, which not only aids in conforming the brassiere to the figure and controlling same as described above but also facilitates manufacturing operations as in conforming the band 4 to the rounded contour of the bust pockets.

While a specific embodiment has been shown and described herein for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is capable of various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A brassiere comprising a pair of bust pockets shaped to confine and support the busts and connected together by a reduced median area, an arc-shaped elastic band extending from the outer end of one bust pocket to the outer end of the other bust pocket and secured to the outer bottom portions of said bust pockets, said elastic band having its central portion disconnected from said bust pockets and extending freely below said connecting median area, a pair of elastic bands secured to said median area and to the inner bottom portions of the respective bust pockets and extending outwardly to the respective ends of said brassiere, said pair of elastic bands overlapping said arc-shaped elastic band and being secured to the latter where overlapped, and means for securing said brassiere upon the body.

2. A brassiere comprising a pair of bust pockets of inelastic fabric shaped to confine and support the busts, said pockets having curved lower edges and being connected together by a short median area, an arc-shaped elastic fabric band extending from the outer end of one bust pocket to the outer end of the other bust pocket and secured to the outer bottom portions of said bust pockets, said elastic band having its central portion disconnected from said bust pockets and extending freely below said connecting median area, a pair of elastic fabric bands secured to said median area and to the inner bottom portions of the respective bust pockets and extending outwardly to the respective ends of said brassiere, said pair of elastic fabric bands overlapping said arc-shaped elastic fabric band and being secured to the latter where overlapped, inelastic fabric strips forming under-arm flaps secured to said arc-shaped elastic fabric band and to the adjacent one of pair of elastic fabric bands outwardly of said bust pockets, short elastic bands secured to the outer ends of said inelastic fabric strips and converging to the respective outer ends of said pair of elastic fabric '2,ss 2,90a I 3 4 bands to form therewith the 'terminal ends of said bras- References Cited in the file of this patent siere, means for securing said terminal ends tegether at the back of the brassiere, and shoulder straps secured UNITED STATES PATENTS at one end to the a-pices of the respective bust pockets 2,074,796 Mason Mar. 23, 1937 -and'a't 'theether end toihe respective under arm flaps of 5 2,475,624 Laszlo July 12, 1949 theabrassiere. 2,755,479 LoCascio July 24, 1956 

